


Always Following Behind

by SingingInTheRaiin



Category: Black Sails
Genre: (because this was written for my sister who hasn't finished the series yet), Anne's hat, F/M, Fluff, Swearing, Sword Fighting, Vane likes strong women, bamf Anne Bonny, being happy together, ends at some ambiguous point in time, some passage of time, starts when Anne is 13, women with swords
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 18:29:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18665956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingInTheRaiin/pseuds/SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: After Jack kills Anne's husband, they don't get off to the best start with each other. But eventually Jack gives in and lets Anne travel with him, and soon they become an inseparable pair.





	Always Following Behind

The first time Jack had realized that Anne was following him, he had looked back at her with some combination of pity and disgust. “What are you doing? Go home.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You killed my husband. I doubt I’d be welcome there.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Look, I don’t need to hear your whole sob story and whatnot. That guy was clearly a rotten fuck and he was bothering my meal with how loud he was being. That’s all there is to it, and I would appreciate it if you would just leave me alone already.”

Anne crossed her arms over her chest. She didn’t make for the most impressive looking figure in that moment. Her dress had been made for someone with a much larger chest, and her limbs were stick-thin, and there was blood speckled across her face from where it had sprayed out of her late husband’s neck. “I’m not going to just let you get away with this.”

Jack arched one eyebrow. “What, are you saying you actually liked that guy?” 

The look on Anne’s face was answer enough, but in case he still didn’t get it, she spat on the ground. “‘course not. I mean that I owe you know, and I can’t just let you get away before I get the chance to pay you back.” 

Jack sighed. “Look, kid, I don’t need you going around trying to ruin my reputation, or whatever. I didn’t kill that brute because I wanted a new puppy. Go home or wherever the fuck you want to go, but leave me out of it.” Then he kept walking, speeding up too much for Anne to be able to catch up, and she ended up tripping over the hem of her skirts when she tried. 

,,,

The second time Jack realized that Anne was following him was after he’d just talked his way into getting cheap passage to Nassau. He’d heard that it was the place to be if he wanted to be anybody. Anybody other than just another faceless, nameless laborer, anyways. He had his mind, and he could use that to be pretty successful in a place full of pirates and anarchy and fame. 

The ship was going to leave tomorrow morning, and he intended to go to the nearest tavern and have himself a nice little farewell celebration. As he headed away from the docks, he could just barely hear the sound of footsteps behind him. Jack hadn’t done enough yet in his life to build up many enemies, but he wasn’t stupid enough to think that he had none at all. 

He ducked down an alley, and then as soon as his stalker followed him, he reached out to slam them into the wall, slightly taken aback when he realized just how small his stalker was. He almost didn’t recognize her, wearing a pair of dirty pants and a mens’ tunic, and her hair had been cut short, to just above her ears (though it was obvious that she’d done it herself, based on how uneven it all was). Considering her scrawny limbs and flat chest, anyone who didn’t know her would naturally assume her to be a boy. 

Jack pressed her against the wall, pinning her by the throat. “How did you find me here?”

“You shout your name everywhere you go,” Anne choked out. “Be more careful next time if you don’t want to be followed.” Jack had to fight to keep a frown on his face, not wanting to indicate to the girl that he was actually impressed that she was even still alive, let alone able to track him down.

But the facts of the matter didn’t change. Jack let her go, and she slumped down, coughing a few times as she gulped in some deep breaths of air. He reached into his pocket for a couple of coins, and dropped them on the ground in front of Anne. “Go start a new life somewhere and don’t bother me.”

She kicked the coins with her worn away boots that had probably been taken out of someone else’s trash bin. “I don’t need your fuckin’ money.”

Jack let out an exasperated sigh. “Great. Then while we’re on this topic can you please tell me just what it is that you do want from me?”

Anne gave him a sour look, even though Jack couldn’t figure out for the life of him what he’d done to upset her so much. “Nothing. I don’t want anything from you.” Then she turned to stomp out of the alley, though the effect was ruined somewhat by the fact that her threadbare shoes had soles so soft that her steps didn’t even echo off of the stone ground.

,,,

The third time Jack realized that Anne was following him was while he was lounging against one of the thick railings of the ship he was on, staring out at the endless ocean. He was on his way to Nassau and once he got there, he had so many plans. Soon everyone would know the name Jack Rackham, and he couldn’t wait until that day.

He heard the commotion as it all went down, and turned to see what was going on. One of the sailors was dragging a kicking and screaming figure across the ship. “Cap’n! This little imp was stowing away!”

The captain slowly walked over to the sailor and the stowaway, a sneer on his face. “Thought you could get a free ride without payin’, did you? Well let me assure you just how wrong ya are, lad. Us men of the sea are used to throwin’ our garbage overboard. I’m sure the ocean has plenty of room for ya’.”

Jack made his way closer to the fuss, and then sighed when he saw that it was Anne squirming around. They were out in the middle of the ocean, no land for days in any direction. Getting tossed would be a death sentence even if she managed to swim away fast enough to avoid getting hit by the ship. He knew that she must’ve come to follow him still, and he heaved out a big sigh. 

If the sailors found out that Anne was a girl underneath her clothes, it would only make her situation more dire. But Jack was used to thinking on his feet. He strode forward, doing his best to erase any sense of urgency from his posture. If it looked like Anne was important to him, he’d only be asked to pay more money for her. “Captain.” The man didn’t look over, and Jack cleared his throat. “Captain!” Once he had the attention he needed, he continued. “Terribly sorry, but that boy is my nephew. He was told to stay home, but he’s a stubborn thing, and has always wanted to be a sailor. I can pay for his safe passage.” 

The captain glared over at Jack. “Who knows how much food he’s snatched from our stores to feed his greedy belly? We all know how much children can eat. So it’s only fair that he be paid for as though he ate enough for two grown men.”

Jack blinked a few times as he continued to smile, trying to figure out in what world that seemed fair. “We haven’t even finished the voyage yet, and moving forward he will only be eating the same rations as everyone else. The fare of a single man seems more than enough to cover it.” 

“One and a half.”

“One and a quarter.”

There was a long pause, and then the captain finally nodded. “Done.” He glanced at the sailor, looking bored now that the option of bloodshed was off the table. “Release the boy.” Then he turned to give Jack a hard look. “If he causes any trouble or gets in anyone’s way-”

“He won’t,” Jack promised. Then he roughly grabbed Anne by the arm so that he could drag her downstairs. There was nowhere truly private on a ship, but the storeroom was empty at the moment, which was good enough. He glowered at Anne. “What the hell were you thinking?”

She shrugged, looking unconcerned by the fact that she had just come so close to death. “You said to go start a new life. Nassau seems as good a place as any.”

Jack pressed his lips together in a flat line to stop himself from laughing out loud. “You’ll get eaten alive there. It’s an island full of vicious, bloodthirsty pirates. Men far worse than the captain of this fine ship. You won’t survive there for a day.” She said nothing, and he couldn’t refrain from snorting. “What, you think that you can just follow me around on the island, too?”

“No!” she snapped immediately. “I told you I don’t need anything from you, or from anybody else.”

Jack stared at her for a long moment, wondering how it was possible for there to be a child so stupid existing in this world. “This isn’t a world that’s exactly friendly to anyone trying to make it on their own, let alone a kid.” There was a long moment of silence before Jack pointed out, “This is the second time I’ve saved your life.”

“Well I didn’t ask you too.”

He looked closely at her face, and Jack could see that she really didn’t seem to care whether she lived or died. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He wasn’t a good person. He did what he wanted, and only took on fights with men he knew to be weaker than he, and his name meant nothing yet but he hoped to make it mean something on an island of pirates. He didn’t care about other people. But there was just something so pathetic about the girl sitting in front of him, staring at him with those piercing eyes, and his shoulders slumped down. “I’m not the best fighter,” he admitted quietly. “But if you’re really so intent on sticking to me, then you can at least make yourself useful and learn how to fight.” He had no doubt in his mind that this scrappy little girl would be able to succeed at nearly anything if she put her mind to it. “But I won’t have a stupid companion. You’re also going to learn to read and write if you don’t already know, and you’ll have to learn how to think on your feet so that you don’t wind up in the ocean next time either.”

Anne blinked a few times, and seemed surprised. “What are you talking about?”

Jack shrugged. “You’ve already proven yourself to be resourceful, and at least a little bit clever. And very stubborn. If you’re going to follow me around everywhere, you may as well learn a thing or two.”

,,,

Jack never had to look back to make sure Anne was following him, because he knew that she always was. Had been for the past several years. It had been a bit difficult for both of them at first, getting used to being around another person and trusting that they would have each other’s backs. But as they bounced around from crew to crew, Anne’s skillset grew, and Jack found himself less worried about her, and more grateful to have her around. And now, here they were. On their way to try and join one of the best known crews on the entire island. The crew of the Ranger.

Jack was pretty sure that he’d never before in his life felt as nervous as he did standing before Charles Vane. He was just glad that the man remained seated, since he was a rather tall man, and Jack needed every advantage he could get at the moment. He straightened his back, and offered a confident look. “Captain Vane. I’ve heard that you have some openings on your crew, and I would like to offer you my expertise.”

Vane looked him up and down with a critical eye before letting out an amused snort and raising his glass to gulp down more alcohol. “You don’t look like you have much experience with the ropes.”

Jack moved his hands together behind his back, even though Vane had already seen them, and noticed how soft they were. “Not with the ropes, Captain.”

Vane raised one eyebrow. “No? Then you are an expert in sailing and navigation?” Truthfully, Jack still barely understood how the ships worked, and he could read a map about as well as any other man on the island. Vane seemed to be able to read Jack’s answer from his face, and he slammed his cup down on the table. “Well if you can’t tie ropes, you can’t sail, and you can’t navigate, what the fuck can you do?”

“I have just helped the crew of the Sandbird secure a rather nice prize. The prize captain had not intended to surrender, but I was able to convince him to give up.”

Vane laughed. “Are you saying that they were intimidated by you?”

Jack bristled at the insult, but before he could say anything, suddenly Anne was standing next to Vane, a sword at his throat. “You’re bein’ pretty fuckin’ disrespectful,” she growled out. Now that she was older, she had to intentionally lower her voice to continue blending in with the men around her, and Jack couldn’t deny that the effect was rather well appreciated by his lower region. 

Vane arched one eyebrow, looking entirely unthreatened. “So are you supposed to be the intimidating one, then?”

“Mr. Bonny, please stand down,” Jack requested in a hard voice. She knew how much it meant to Jack to get on Vane’s crew, though he appreciated her loyalty towards him in that moment. “You’ll have to forgive my companion. He’s got a bit of a temper.”

In a matter of moments, Vane got up with just the slightest nick on the side of his neck, and had managed to disarm Anne. “Mr. Bonny, is it?” He gave Anne a long look, and then turned to Jack. “Are you sure about that?”

“Beg your pardon?”

Vane laughed as he tossed Anne’s sword back to her. “I don’t let liars onto my crew. You think I don’t know a woman when I see one?”

A few of the other people in the tavern had turned to stare at the commotion, and though neither Jack or Anne were well known, people were always interested in the latest gossip. A woman disguised as a man probably seemed pretty noteworthy to them. But Jack could see that Vane wasn’t looking for any bullshit. He took a deep breath in, and then slowly let it out. “I’m sure you can understand why it is safest for my companion to adopt a different honorific?”

Vane just stared at Jack in a way that made him want to go curl up under a blanket somewhere and maybe cry a little bit. Manly tears, of course. “Like I said, I don’t abide by liars on my crew.”

Jack was about to thank the man for his time anyways, when something about the captain’s tone caught his attention, and he tilted his head slightly to the side. “Do you mean to imply that if Mr. Bonny were to go by Ms, you would give us the chance to join your crew? Surely you must be afraid of how you would be perceived by the other pirates, and by your potential prizes.”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Vane said in a voice so confident and genuine that Jack couldn’t help partially believing it, even though he knew that every man had to be afraid of something. “And the only thing that would make others stop fearing me is if I had a weak crew. Is your Ms. Bonny weak? Are you?”

Anne clutched her hand around her sword tightly enough that her knuckles were very pale. “Why don’t we both step outside, and I’ll show you who the fuck is the weak one.”

Vane let out a loud laugh. “Sure, why not?” The three of them all left the tavern, and a few others stumbled out after them to watch the spectacle. Jack clenched his jaw and hoped that Anne wasn’t about to get herself killed. He’d grown too used to having her around all the time, and was sure that it would be quite impossible to ever find another person quite like her.

Anne gripped her sword tightly, and Vane pulled out his. No one took the time to declare any rules, or even to say go; they both just ran at each other, swords raised. Jack raised his hands to cover his eyes, though he still watched through the cracks between his fingers. It was obvious from the very first swing that Vane was far superior. But instead of yielding, Anne just threw herself even harder into the fight.

She kept going until Vane eventually knocked her back, and she landed on her ass on the ground, sword clattering away from her. Even then, she pulled out a dagger, and made to go for another blow. Vane slashed his own weapon forward, leaving a bleeding scratch that ran from behind Anne’s ear down to the top of her neck. Vane left her on the ground, and then turned to Jack. “She’s yours?”

Even though she hadn’t won the fight, Jack wasn’t just going to abandon her. He knew that she still had a lot more training to go before she’d really be on par with the greatest of the pirates. “Yes.”

Vane laughed as he sheathed his sword. “It was a shit fight, but an admirable effort. I’m sure I can find a place for the both of you onboard the Ranger. Welcome aboard, Ms. Bonny, Mr. Rackham.”

Later that day, after patching up Anne and demanding that she stay in bed to rest up a bit, Jack headed down to the shops. Right now, Anne’s hair was kept very short, since that had been the easiest way to keep her appearance more masculine. He wondered if she would grow it out now that Vane had made it clear she was joining his crew as a female. When the two of them had first met, her hair had been pretty long. 

But even if she did make that decision, it would still take several months to actually get longer, and Jack was looking for something to cover the scrat Vane had given her. It was a pretty nasty scratch, and he didn’t want Anne to feel weird about it. He was pretty sure that she was going to look at it as proof of her own weakness, or something along those lines. 

As Jack was browsing, though he wasn’t exactly sure what it was that he was looking for, he spotted a wide brimmed brown hat. Simple, but nice and clean. It was a bit pricey for a hat, but Jack managed to bargain it down, and in the end only paid half of the asking price. He went back to the tavern, and up the stairs to the room he’d rented and left Anne in. 

She was standing over by the window, staring out at the different buildings that were scattered around Nassau, most of which looked like they’d be blown over the moment the wind grew too strong. Jack didn’t bother to announce himself, he just walked over to Anne and plopped the hat down on top of her head. “Surprise.”

Anne reached up to feel the hat, and then tugged on the brim to tip it forward enough to partially obscure her face, doing nothing to hide the injury that was surely going to leave a visible scar on her. “Thanks,” she muttered.

Jack cleared his throat, feeling slightly awkward when it came to talking about things like feelings and whatnot. “Look, I appreciate you trying to defend me, but challenging Vane like that was a foolish move. You could’ve gotten both of us killed. But I’m proud of you. You did surprisingly well up against Vane, and even if you lost, you still got us what I had wanted in the first place, so really, it was a victory in my book.” 

Anne slowly turned around to face Jack, tilting her head back to look him right in the eyes. “You’re proud of me for getting my ass thrown into the dirt?”

“Yes. Well, that’s not the specific part of all this that I’m proud of-” Anne reached out to grab the front of Jack’s shirt, and yanked him forward so that she could slam their mouths together. It was the most aggressive kiss Jack had ever had, but he found it to be an enjoyable experience all the same. When Anne finally pulled away from him, he cleared his throat. “What was that for?”

Anne shrugged. “Haven’t you heard the news? I’m supposed to be a woman again.”

“Ah, I see.” Jack wasn’t even sure why there was any disappointment in his voice. It was just Anne, with her weird teeth and her too-intense eyes, and her constant cussing, and her rare laugh, and the way her hair looked when the sun reflected off of it, and- oh.

Something in Anne’s face softened as she looked at Jack. “It’s not because you’re here, Jack. It’s because you’re you.” 

Maybe that was one of those statements that wouldn’t make much sense coming from anyone else, but in the time that they’d known each other, Jack and Anne had developed a way of understanding each other like no one else did. Jack grinned. “Well in that case, darling, let’s have some fun.”

,,,

Jack waited until Anne walked around the corner, and then grabbed her around the waist suddenly. She didn’t even startle. “Watch yourself, Jack. Anyone else would have a knife sticking out of their fucking gut right now.”

Jack laughed. “I know. But I’m not anyone else. I’m Jack Rackham, remember?” Anne squirmed to get out of his grasp, but he knew that she didn’t really want to go, or she would be gone, because she could easily beat Jack in a fight. “I’m not letting you go until you pay a tax.”

Anne rolled her eyes. “What’s the point in being a fucking pirate if we can’t escape taxes?” Jack shrugged innocently, and she sighed. “Fine, what’s the tax?”

“A kiss.”

Anne elbowed him in the side, but not with enough effort to actually hurt him, just to get free. And once she was, she turned back to give him a quick peck on the lips before pulling back. “There’s a new name on the island. You ever heard of a Captain Flint before?”

Jack shook his head. “No. But a hundred new Nassau captains appear every month before slipping back into obscurity by the next. I’d give him a little more time before deciding that he’s someone of note.”

Anne shrugged. “Alright. Now let’s fuck. Ship’s leaving tomorrow afternoon, and there’s no privacy onboard.” Jack was perfectly happy to agree with someone else’s plans when they ended like this, and he followed Anne over to the bed.

,,,

It was pretty windy out for those standing on deck. Anne was helping pull some rope as a particularly strong gust blew past, and Jack could see the moment her hat was about to separate from her head. He hurried over and grabbed the brim of her hat to tug it down more securely on her, and then kissed the brim. “Be more careful, or I might start to think that you didn’t appreciate my gift.”

Anne snorted as she gave a long tug on the rope. “Oh get over yourself. There’s a thousand other fucking hats just like it.” But there was a wide grin on her face, and it only grew wider as Jack stepped in front of her to assist with the rope pulling. 

,,,

The first time Jack realized that Anne wasn’t following him was the day he glanced over, and found that she was standing right by his side. He offered her a wry grin, which she easily returned before going back to staring out at the vast ocean beyond them. It didn’t feel strange at all for Anne to not be behind him, and he reached out to gently rest his hand on top of hers on the railing she was leaning forward on. When she didn’t make any move to pull away, he threaded their fingers together as well. 

He decided that he liked it better this way. Knowing that Anne was next to him was a lot more satisfying than knowing that she was following behind. She reached up with her free hand to press down on the top of her hat to keep it from flying away, and her hair was dancing out behind her from the breeze. There was a peaceful look on Anne’s face, and it was the most breathtaking sight Jack had ever seen. “I’m glad you decided to follow me,” he told her very quietly. 

“Hm?” 

Anne glanced at him again, and Jack just shrugged. “Nothing.” She gave him a scrutinizing look before turning to look at the water again. 

“You’re so fucking weird,” she said while looking away from him.

Jack grinned. “Then what does that make you, when you’re always near me?”

Anne shrugged. “Some fucking idiot, I suppose.” She still didn’t look at Jack, and instead leaned back slightly so that they were pressed together, Jack supporting some of Anne’s weight. “But a happy fucking idiot, so it’s alright.”

Jack kissed the top of Anne’s head, and then moved her hand aside, resting his chin on top of her hat to keep it in place. They stared out at the water together, and Jack was glad that once upon a time, he’d thought to look back.


End file.
